Community Health Needs Assessment

A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is conducted to provide an understanding of the state of health in a community and the social factors contributing to and influencing health in the area. The CHNA may then be used as a guide for development of community health improvement strategies.

The periodic updating of assessments reflect changes in health status and factors over time and help ensure ongoing improvement efforts are based on the current needs of the community.

Saint Thomas Health and its member hospitals, conducted Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) of the communities it serves during the 2013 fiscal year. CHNA's are done in three year cycles, and the next assessment is scheduled for 2016.

These assessments of unmet health needs will provide a basis for addressing the health needs of the county, and a reference for each of the hospital’s implementation strategy (community benefit plan) ensuring it is aligned with the community needs and Saint Thomas Health's ministry.